Synopses & Reviews
In an extension of his
New York Times bestselling book
Blindsided, author Richard M. Cohen depicts one year in the lives of five individuals who are living with serious chronic illness and of their families. These "citizens of sickness," as Cohen calls them, were selected for the diversity of their ages, races, socioeconomic positions, illness types, stages of wellness, and gender. Cohen profiles:
—Denise, a woman with ALS, from suburban Los Angeles, California
—Buzz, a man with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, from Franklin, Indiana
—Sarah, a twenty-seven-year-old woman with Crohn's disease, from Cleveland, Ohio
—Ben, an eighteen-year-old freshman at Saint Mary's College of Maryland, with muscular dystrophy
—Larry, a man with bipolar disease, from Cleveland, Georgia
Intimately involved with every aspect of their lives, Cohen formed intense relationships with his subjects, interviewing their families and friends, shadowing them on the job, accompanying them to doctor's visits, and being available and present for the important moments of daily triumphs and setbacks. Though each individual's illness wreaks havoc in a different way, there is much common ground to be found in the emotional impact of chronic illness and the need to rise above the disease. Listeners will be carried into the hearts and minds of those who cope with sickness daily and will learn about self-determination, courage in the face of adversity and ignorance, keeping hope alive, and finding strength and peace.
Synopsis
In an extension of his New York Times bestselling book Blindsided, author Richard M. Cohen depicts one year in the lives of five individuals who are living with serious chronic illness and of their families. Listeners will be carried into the hearts and minds of those who cope with sickness daily and learn about self-determination, courage in the face of adversity and ignorance, keeping hope alive, and finding strength and peace.
About the Author
Richard M. Cohen is a former senior producer for CBS News and CNN, a three-time Emmy Award winner, and the recipient of numerous honors in journalism. In his acclaimed memoir, Blindsided, he chronicles his life with multiple sclerosis as well as two bouts with colon cancer. He is a contributor to the Health and Fitness section of the New York Times and lives with his family outside New York City. Mel Foster is a former ad agency executive who used to record test tracks for commercials. An audiobook narrator since 2002, he won an Audie Award for Finding God in Unexpected Places by Philip Yancey and an AudioFile Earphones Award for the novel Match Made in Heaven by Bob Mitchell. Mel is the author of several novels, including Shaking Hands with Lefkowitz, and he hopes that one day listeners will get the opportunity to hear him reading something that he's written himself.